- Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation from United States Merchant Marine Academy, 1985
- J.D. from Temple University, 1993
- USCG Unlimited Master License
- 15 years sailing experience on various merchant marine vessels, 12 years experience working shoreside in a shipping company office.
- Member of the Nautical Institute
Dr. Marina Brock
Assistant Professor, Emergency Management Department
Coordinator, Emergency and Risk Management Concentration and Minor
Dr. Marina Brock is an Assistant Professor in the Emergency Management Department at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, bringing 17 years of higher education experience and over 25 years of service as an Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Specialist with the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment. Her interdisciplinary expertise spans EHS, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), Public Health, Environmental Science, and Emergency Management.
Dr. Brock is the lead faculty coordinator for the Academy’s newly established Emergency and Risk Management Concentration and Minor, which integrates applied and theoretical perspectives on risk identification, hazard control, and enterprise risk management. Through this work, she helps prepare students across disciplines to anticipate, assess, and respond to complex and interconnected risks within public and private sector systems.
Her academic and professional work focuses on advancing local and regional government initiatives by promoting the development and implementation of Safety and Risk Management Systems. She provides assessments, training, compliance guidance, and strategic planning support to public sector facilities, with a strong emphasis on system-based solutions for sustainable risk reduction and operational resilience.
Dr. Brock holds a B.A. in Environmental Economics from Simmons University, an M.S. in Occupational Health and Safety Engineering from Columbia Southern University, and a Ph.D. in Emergency and Protective Services from Capitol Technology University. Her research focuses on identifying operational gaps and barriers to the implementation of Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) competency, and she is committed to evolving and evaluating strategies that enhance safety culture and enterprise-wide risk management frameworks.
She has authored and co-authored several articles, lectured widely across New England, and served as a mentor to both students and professionals. Her contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Excellence Award and the Massachusetts Governor’s Award for Toxics Use Reduction. Her innovative prevention and mitigation initiatives have served as national models for public agencies.
A recognized leader in cross-sector collaboration, Dr. Brock was nominated for the Harvard Kennedy School’s Innovations in Government Award and appointed Member and eventually Chair of the EPA Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) in 2016. In this role, she represented U.S. local government interests in environmental and safety policy matters under the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) as part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Dr. Brock continues to engage students in applied research, promoting the development of critical skills in safety systems, risk communication, and integrated enterprise risk management, fostering the next generation of risk-aware, solution-oriented professionals.
Education: B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison; J.D., cum laude, University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.A., with distinction, U.S. Naval War College
Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 1994 Master of Science in Emergency Management, Massachusetts Maritime Academy 2016, USCG Unlimited Chief Mate , 1600 Ton Master's
A U.S. Coast Guard veteran, she has led pollution response, incident command, and critical infrastructure protection efforts across domestic and international waters. She holds a Master’s in Homeland Security from Northeastern University and a B.S. in Marine Environmental Science from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
2018 Graduate of Emergency Management MMA Program. In 2015, retired Deep Sea Master, Served as Master aboard M/V Maersk Arkansas in the Eastern Mediterranean container feeder service. Responsibilities included overall command, safe and efficient operation of vessel, navigation, crew management and ensuring vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag state policies. Managed ship's accounting, payrolls, and inventories. Also, safe docking and undocking of vessel when pilots unable or incompetent to do so in Port Said, Egypt.Served as Master aboard M/V Maersk Arkansas in the Baltic Sea and Northern Europe. Vessel was tasked to transport US and NATO military equipment and supplies bound for Afghanistan via Port of Riga Latvia and Klaipeda Lithuania. As Master, responsible for safe navigation when transiting the Kiel Canal twice a week on routine service without incident. The Kiel Canal, at 62 miles long, is the most congested canal in the world with the highest amount of vessel accidents. Also, had to maneuver around ice flow during harsh Baltic winters. Currently, Associate Professor teaching Bridge Resource Management to First Class Deck Cadets in FMSS 360 in prepping them for maritime industry
LT. Zachary Dias is a Master Mariner, educator, and U.S. Navy Strategic Sealift Officer with nearly two decades of experience in the maritime industry. A graduate of Massachusetts Maritime Academy, LT. Dias spent nearly a decade sailing with the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command, earning his Master of Unlimited Tonnage Upon Oceans and Master of Towing, Oceans Licenses. His professional experience includes extensive service aboard U.S. Navy ocean-going tugs, salvage and rescue vessels, and, Combat Logistics Force ships.
Throughout his maritime career, LT. Dias has developed extensive hands-on expertise in ship handling, docking and undocking, towing, making and breaking tow, multi-point anchorings and moorings, ocean towing, dry dock operations, salvage and recovery, Bridge Resource Management, and navigation. His experience includes numerous ocean-going tows, complex tug operations, real-world salvage missions, and specialized ship-handling evolutions. Notably, he was part of the crew involved in the successful recovery of the EL FARO’s Voyage Data Recorder in 2016.
LT. Dias is a former Military Sealift Command Maritime Instructor, where he taught USCG STCW courses, developed towing curriculum, and instructed Anti-Terrorism Officer courses. He currently serves as a USCG Designated Examiner and Qualified Instructor at MMA, allowing him to combine extensive operational experience with the professional assessment and development of mariners. He also maintains a strong background in Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) and modern electronic navigation. His professional interests and collaborative work include efforts to enhance ECDIS symbology and improve the interpretation of charted information, helping explore how navigators interact with, understand, and apply complex electronic navigational information in real-world operating environments.
Beyond his operational experience, LT. Dias has developed a strong academic and maritime business background. He holds a Master’s degree in Maritime Business Management, giving him a broader perspective on the commercial, operational, and strategic forces that shape the maritime industry. His particular area of professional curiosity is United States sealift strategy and the relationship between the commercial maritime industry, national security, and the nation’s ability to project maritime power.
That interest continues through his service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve Strategic Sealift Officer Force, where he operates at the intersection of commercial maritime capability and national defense.
As an educator, LT. Dias believes effective maritime education should go beyond teaching students what to do—it should teach them why. He brings practical maritime experience into the classroom and uses realistic, challenging simulator exercises to place students in situations requiring sound judgment, communication, adaptability, and technical skill. He enjoys experimenting with different scenarios and approaches to learning, encouraging students to be curious, ask questions, and understand the consequences of their decisions.
His teaching philosophy is simple: experience creates understanding, curiosity creates growth, and understanding the “why” creates better mariners.